2. investigate the selection practice

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In this part of my assignment I am going to investigate the second learning outcome which is to investigate the selection process for Boots. To do this I will look at things such as the interview process and how it is carried out, who does what and what is looked for in a potential candidate.

The Selection process deals with three main areas: the preparation for selection, communication skills, and selection and decision-making.

Preparation and Interviews

The selection of the right person for the job needs careful planning. Businesses will have different ways of managing interviews. For example once Boots has decided which individuals it wants to interview, it will produce a list of candidates. An interview is the opportunity to ask questions of the applicant and to work out the suitability of the person for the job. It is also the first opportunity that applicants and the organisation have to speak with each other formally. There are numerous ways of interviewing candidates they include –

Group interviews - a number of people are interviewed together. This would allow Boots to present information about the job to a number of people at the same time and also allows them to see how people relate to each other. It is the ideal opportunity to do teamwork to see if people will work good together and also a good comparison tool because you can compare the candidates face to face.

Individual interviews – This is the most popular and most used tool of interviewing. It allows the company to see one applicant in their own light and see what just they have to offer the organisation.

Team/panel interviews - this can also be used to allow the organisation to gain different opinions about an applicant. A panel of experts may be used to ask the candidate different questions related to specialist fields.

The number of interviews that are needed must also be planned for, and this will depend on the type of vacancy that is being offered. Other things that must be planned and prepared include –

  • Documentation – Job description, person specification, application form, CV.
  • Physical Resources – Location of interview organised and applicant informed, short list of applicants arranged and times for each candidate’s interview sorted.
  • Questioning – Agree a set list of questions that will be posed to every applicant, also prepare an answer sheet for later comparison of all candidates

During various stages of the process candidates may be asked to perform tasks and tests. These include the following.

Psychometric tests: Tests that attempt to measure intelligence or personality type, to assess how well a person will suit a job. These may be multiple-choice, paper-based tests.

Occupational preference tests: These measure skills that are important for the job. For example, if a job requires the person to be very customer focused, the test will measure this. A role-play may be used, for example asking a candidate to deal with a dissatisfied customer.

Attainment tests: These may measure by observing candidates performing in a group. They show the level at which candidates work within a group - as a high or low achiever, for example. 

Aptitude tests: These assessments attempt to measure suitability for a job and may be more practical, such as putting tasks into priority order or demonstrating management of a small group.

There are certain things that must be ensured when Boots start the selection process. It is a good idea to have an even balanced panel in terms of mixed sex and if possible both white and other ethnicities, however if it is only a certain race that has applied for the job then this will not be possible. Furthermore it wouldn’t be ethical to offer the job to an ethnic person over another colour just because the company wants to be seen as a multicultural environment, at the end of the day, the right person for the job should always be chosen, not chosen on the colour of their skin. Furthermore it would be advised to not use people just to make up the numbers on the panel; Boots should carefully use people with experience relevant to the post and experience in recruitment and psychologists if possible with knowledge of body language. If the person interviewing doesn’t know the job that the candidates are applying for then they will not have the right idea as to who the right person for the job is, this could have detrimental effect on the business.

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Good communication skills for both the interviewer and interviewee are very important. This includes knowing the importance of body language and how actions such as folding your arms or leaning forward affect the way you communicate. Maintaining eye contact and smiling are extremely important and help to communicate that you are open and trustworthy. A firm handshake is also a way of showing that you are a confident and suitable person for the job, but being over-confident is as bad as being shy and nervous, because that may make the interviewer see you as being dishonest or big-headed. The ...

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